Leopards Matano Stripped Of Coaching Duties At Ingwe As Sacking Might Be Inevitable

AFC Leopards coach Robert Matano is facing the sack after he was temporarily asked to step aside from handling the first team.

Nairobi News has reliably learnt that Matano will not be in charge of the team’s next league assignment against Sony Sugar In Awendo on Sunday.

“He’s been asked to step aside. The players and club management have an issue with his tactics and player selection. (Tanzanian) assistant coach Dennis Kitambi will be in charge of the game against Sony,” a source told Nairobi News.

Matano is also understood to have been asked to to stay away from the team’s training. He didn’t attend Friday’s session at the Camp Toyoyo grounds.

COSTLY DEFEATS

Matano, who is in his third stint at the club, is clearly paying the price for the team’s below par start to the campaign.

Leopards have already been eliminated from the continental assignment at the first hurdle by little known FOSA Juniors from Madagascar.

Matano has also overseen defeats to Gor Mahia in the KPL Super Cup and Sofapaka in the new season of the Kenyan Premier League.

Matano’s impending sack will not come as a surprise to those who have followed Leopards’ way of management in recent times.

He is the fifth coach to manage this club in the past two seasons, coming after Stewart Hall, Dorian Marin, Tom Juma and Ivan Minnaert.